Mehrangiz Kar, a prominent women's rights lawyer, was married to journalist Siamak Pourzand and stood by his side as the regime questioned their activities and loyalties:

"During my interrogation I had said that my
husband established a cine club when he was younger. He wanted to introduce
Western cinema to Iranians. I told them that he loved cinema as an art form. Not because of the actresses! As you know, the word 'cine' in
Persian nalso means 'breasts.' So the prosecutor was accusing my husband of running a club where women showed
their breasts. And of inviting Shah's men to look at those breasts. That's how
he defined cine clubs. I knew then that talking to these people was useless."

The sight of his emaciated figure emerging from prison is a testament to his suffering - and hers:

"When I saw Siamak’s
photo, I thought he was coming out of his grave. I'll never forget that moment. I was shocked. I
thought Siamak had died. The Siamak I saw in the picture was not alive. It was
his corpse."